Dress codes: Where should schools set limits?

Pushing the limits on style and self-expression is a rite of passage for teens and even younger kids. How far should schools go with their dress codes? The courts have sided with schools in an era when school safety is paramount. (April 16)
Gannett

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - They're called leggings - popular tight-fitting pants that seem to be the favorite new target of the school dress code.

Some schools have banned leggings outright. Others, including a middle school in Evanston, have set limits.

Some parents and students are complaining - and saying more developed girls are being targeted. So in the Evanston case, the school board is reviewing the policy at Haven Middle School and other schools in the district.

Legal experts say these matters are generally settled outside the courts, unless safety is an issue. But usually, they say consistency and common sense work best when writing a policy.

They point to the case of a Colorado girl, suspended after she shaved her head to support a young friend with cancer - a decision quickly reversed.

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